


On Fat Home Invaders and Missile Toes

by LoneWulffe



Series: Rounded with a Sleep [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Complicated Relationships, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, Platonic Relationships, Pre-Relationship, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 04:35:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17155412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoneWulffe/pseuds/LoneWulffe
Summary: [Companion fic to the Paradise in a Dream series]Two different points in time, two different Christmas experiences.Mon-El still manages to annoy Kara to no end regardless.





	On Fat Home Invaders and Missile Toes

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! First of all, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to my Karamel family! Hopefully you all don't mind the brief pseudo-detour I took from updating Paradise in a Dream; I felt like doing something a little festive but couldn't bring myself completely out of the series so... here we are with a little companion fic. Without further ado, read on!
> 
> WARNING: Christmas does not really survive this story intact. (Blame the aliens.)

“ _The best presents don't come in boxes.” – Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes_

 

* * *

 

Like many other things on Earth, winter was a new experience for Kara.

That was not to say that she'd never seen snow or ice before as she had in fact visited a planet cold enough to have both those things with her parents during the first twelve years of her life. Furthermore, Mon-El had showed her a few other such planets during their shared twenty-four year-long stay in the dream world albeit without recreating the frigid temperature that was typical of such locations. If not for the fact that they had both gotten more than used to the many oddities of the dream world by that point, she was sure that she would have been disquieted by the experience of walking through almost knee-high snow and across crystal-clear ice without feeling even the slightest chill.

(Her favourite icy planet thus far was definitely Esorrelyt which, due to its unusual atmosphere and number of moons, would occasionally have its oceans flash-frozen. The result was colossal ice sculptures made out of waves so high she had had to squint to glimpse their highest points. It had been a one-of-a-kind experience to see the planet's breathtaking ocean wildlife trapped in the ice – Mon-El had reassured her that they were completely fine, having adapted to survive the phenomenon centuries ago – and be able to admire them up close.)

However, Earth was the first planet with seasons she had ever been on, and seeing the gradual change from season to season had definitely been something different for her especially after an eternity of her surroundings being instantly transformed at will.

Of course, with every change came adjustments, and the arrival of winter was no different... but not for the expected reasons. For one, her invulnerability meant that she could not feel the drop in temperature and thus had struggled initially to remember that she was supposed to wear things like boots and thick coats whenever she went outside. Then she had struggled to remember that she was supposed to take those things off once she was indoors. (One day, she had made the mistake of forgetting to do just that and ended up tracking snow all the way up to her shared room with Alex. Jeremiah and Eliza had given her a pass... but Alex certainly hadn't.)

But that change was at least something she could process with enough time and the right information. It was science, and she could understand science easily enough. As for the other problem, it was just a matter of getting the new routine drilled into her head.

What utterly baffled her, on the other hand, was all the decorations that seemed to appear overnight everywhere. Pine trees covered with the most seemingly random things like shiny fragile balls and furry cords. Stacks of three balls of snow with the topmost one having an arrangement of stones and a carrot stuck in it that looked like a face. Fake reindeer with red lights for noses. Fat old men dressed in white-trimmed red suits and floppy cone hats.

Her best guess was that it was some kind of Earth celebration... but what?

Understandably curious, she went looking for answers.

She made the mistake of trying to ask Alex first.

“Why don't you figure it out for yourself?” the girl sneered. “You're supposed to be some kind of genius, right?”

Kara thought she could be forgiven for thinking some uncharitable thoughts about Alex following that exchange.

Nevertheless, the challenge stuck in her head and she decided against simply asking Jeremiah and Eliza about it. (“Someone's Kryptonian pride got a little wounded, huh?” she could almost hear Mon-El tease her as if he were right there with her. She imagined smacking him in the face with a pillow for that.) Besides, the two older Danvers seemed busy enough with their work and what she assumed was preparations for said holiday – they were suddenly doing quite a bit more shopping than usual, for one – and she didn't feel like bothering them with something she could ostensibly do all on her own.

With that goal in mind, she turned towards her most trustworthy source of information that she could be completely sure would not ask probing questions like why a girl her age had absolutely no idea what in Rao's name had recently possessed the human race: the library.

One hour, eighteen minutes and forty-eight seconds of searching and reading later, she was still left a little confused.

Maybe talking about it with someone would help?

 

* * *

 

“...So let me get this straight.”

The look on Mon-El's face screamed “I am once again convinced that humans are colossal idiots and I almost wish you hadn't shared this with me because I can feel my brain decaying” which Kara realised in hindsight was the only reaction she should have expected. Nevertheless, she squared her shoulders and prepared herself for a barrage of questions which she hoped she was reasonably equipped to answer.

“This... Creased Mouse day-”

“It's Christmas.”

“-is supposed to celebrate the birth of this Jeepers Cripes-”

“Jesus Christ.”

“-who, according to one of Earth's religions, is a son of a god.”

“Son of God.”

“That's what I said.”

“No, he's _the_ son of God. They call their god... well, God.”

“...I don't even know where to begin with that.”

“It's just how it is. Be respectful, Mon-El.”

“Okay, _fine_. I'll let this one slide.”

“How kind of you.”

“I do try. But moving on... You're saying that he wasn't even born on this Crisp Mush day.”

“It's _Christmas_. And that's just what some people think based on... old texts, I guess?”

“Uh huh. Right. So why celebrate it on this day then?”

“Apparently it's... um... something about absorbing old unrelated customs...?”

“...You're saying _they stole someone else's celebration_?”

“I wouldn't say ' _stole_ '-”

“There's no other way to look at it! And why would they even do something like that?!”

“ _I don't know, okay?_ I'm just pretending to be human, remember?”

“Aha!” Mon-El dramatically pointed a finger in her face, his own features twisted in an obnoxiously triumphant expression. “So you admit you don't understand it either!”

Kara glowered and swatted at the offending digit. “I never said I did.”

“But you were totally fine with letting me _think_ you did.” That smug look on his face made her want to hurl a pillow at it, so she did. “Hitting me only proves I'm right. You know that, don't you?”

She threw another pillow at his head but this time he managed to dodge it. “Are you going to ask me any more questions or keep making fun of me for the rest of this visit?”

“Fine, fine. I'll stop. For now.”

“ _Hey!_ ”

“But yes, I do have more questions.”

“Ugh. I'm definitely going to regret this but... go ahead.”

“Okay, so. I get that this is a religious celebration of some kind but...”

“...'But'...?”

“Exactly how is this related to a fat man with a questionable taste in clothes breaking into peoples' homes to leave them stuff they may or may not want?”

“Um...”

“Is he Geezer's brother? Distant cousin? ...Loyal manservant?”

“It's _Jesus_. And no, they're not related in any way. Well, not like that, at least. They weren't even born around the same time. According to the books I read, Santa Claus is... I guess you could say based on a real person called Saint Nicholas. A saint is... I suppose the easiest way to describe them is a kind of holy person?”

“Okay... So what did this Saint Nickel House-”

“Nicholas.”

“-guy do to deserve being celebrated as a fat home invader?”

“He's _not_ a- _ugh_. Apparently he was a rich man who gave up all his money to travel the countryside helping the poor and sick. One story says that when he was passing through a particular village, he saved three poor sisters from... well, let's just say a not very happy life by giving them money in secret so that they could get married.”

“I'm guessing this money gift is the basis for the gift-giving part?”

“Yes.”

“...And the clothes?”

“...I have no explanation for that.”

“The... what do you call it? Sleigh? Flying through the sky?”

“I don't have an explanation for that either.”

“Pulled by reindeer? With the leader having a glowing red nose?”

“Not for that one either.”

“And somehow being able to visit _every_ child on Earth _in one night_? While taking time zones into account? And never once being seen?”

“...I didn't get that far in my research.”

“...You gave up, didn't you?”

Silence.

“Just so you know, I _really_ don't blame you. In fact, I think you should be commended for being able to get that far without your brain melting.”

“Thank you? I think?”

“Look, I'm willing to give a lot of things a pass. I mean, I've been to a lot of celebrations and I've heard and done a lot of things _I_ thought was weird. Like, I'm willing to just... believe that the whole socks business is because someone a long time ago ran out of bags or something and everyone thought it was a nice idea to copy for some unfathomable reason. But there is one thing I absolutely _cannot_ let go. I mean that, Kara. I just _cannot_ process it. I _refuse_ to.”

“...Okay, I'll ask even though I know I'm going to regret this: What is it?”

Mon-El levelled a look at her that was ridiculously serious considering the words that came out of his mouth next. “What is this 'chimney' and why in Rao's name would this Sandy Claws insist on using it as his point of entry into every home when there is a perfectly good thing called _a door_?”

“Um...”

“It's because he knows he shouldn't be going inside, isn't it?”

“I... don't think so...?”

“Well, can you think of any other explanation for such sneaky behaviour?”

“...I'm starting to remember why I stopped telling you about Earth customs and beliefs...”

“You're just upset that I keep reminding you that you're living on a planet overflowing with idiots.”

Another pillow went sailing through the air but once again failed to hit its target. “Did you actually want me to answer your question or not?”

“Fine, fine. Can we start with the chimney?”

“Well, it's... sort of like a ventilation shaft attached to human houses right over the fireplace so that the smoke can escape outside-”

“Wait, 'right over the fireplace'?”

“Yes, that's what I said.”

“You mean to tell me that Sander Clout's entry point into people's homes _is right above a fire_?!”

“I'm sure people put out the fire beforehand-”

“It's actually a booby-trap, isn't it?! So they can roast him if he tries to come in?! They don't really want him to come in after all, do they?!”

“Look, if that was true, they wouldn't leave out cookies and milk for him.”

“That could just be the bait! Or a bribe! Yeah, I'm going to go with bribe. Either it's so he won't trash their house for trying to kill him or to convince him to give them nicer presents.”

“Oh Rao... How do you manage to make everything sound so... _sinister_?!”

“It's because it _is_ sinister, Kara! Come to think of it, how big is this 'chimney' anyway that this fat guy can travel through it?”

“If I show you, will that shut you up?”

“I make no guarantees.”

“I should have expected that... Fine, here.” Kara waved her hand and a chimney materialised a short distance in front of them.

Mon-El frowned at the strange brick vertical tunnel sticking out of the ground. “Human homes have this stuck to their sides or...?”

“What? Oh.” She created a rough construct of a simple human house to go with the chimney. “There.”

“Ah. So Sender Crows-”

“ _Santa Claus._ ”

“-lands his sleigh on the roof and then goes down that thing, right?”

“Supposedly.”

“Hmm.” A metal disc formed in front of him and he stepped on it before making it lift him up. Once he was level with the roof, he got down and carefully walked up to the chimney before staring down the shaft with a frown on his face. “And a fat old man with a giant bag full of stuff is supposed to be able to go down this? I don't think even _I_ can get waist-deep in this thing before I get stuck.”

“Or maybe you're just fat yourself,” she said cheekily, seeing a rare opportunity to pay him back for all the teasing he put her through and unwilling to squander it.

The slow and rather dramatic way he lifted his head to throw her a glare set off a few alarm bells in her head. “Excuse me?” he mock-snarled.

Uh oh. “I-I didn't say anything,” she tried to lie even as she could feel herself start to crinkle.

Just as expected, he didn't buy it and nimbly slid off the roof before slowly advancing on her with a look on his face that promised retribution. “Think you can call me 'fat' and get away with it, do you?”

Double uh oh. “W-Wait,” she stammered as she started backing away from him even though she knew from past experience that there was no way she could actually outrun him, “can we just... talk this through?”

“Hmm, let me think...” He cocked his head to the side and pretended to give it some thought. “Nope,” he said with a cheerful grin. “If you think I'm too fat to fit in that thing, let's see how well _you_ do.”

“M-Mon-El, please.” It was futile; he kept advancing on her and she saw no choice but to turn on her heels and run. But of course no matter how hard she pushed herself, the sound of his footsteps kept getting closer and closer until a pair of arms wrapped around her and yanked her off her feet.

“Got you,” he growled menacingly.

She knew on a logical level that he was just playing around and had no real intention of actually trying to stuff her down the chimney. However, it was not enough to stop the paralysing fear and panic coursing through her at the thought of being trapped in a small dark place all alone from gripping her mind and heart. “ _Mon-El, please! Don't!_ ”

The arms released her almost immediately and before she knew it she was sitting on something soft, her face cradled in a pair of warm familiar hands. “Shh, hey. Hey, Kara? Kara, look at me please. You're okay. You're okay, Kara. Just breathe. Breathe and focus on the sound of my voice, okay? That's it. You're doing good. Keep breathing.”

When her breathing finally evened out and she was able to clearly focus on her surroundings again, Kara found herself sitting on her bed in her room on Krypton with Mon-El kneeling in front of her, a look of pure worry on his face. His concern only made her feel self-conscious and even a little humiliated, and she started curling into herself even though she did her best not to jostle his hands. “I-I'm sorry,” she mumbled as tears began to prick at her eyes.

“Hey, none of that, okay?” he chastised her gently. “There's nothing you need to apologise for. In fact, _I'm_ the one who needs to apologise. That wasn't a very funny joke to play and I should have known better. I mean, I remember the last time you... well. You know.”

She did. A literal eternity ago when she had still been trapped in the Phantom Zone and their shared stay in the dream world had been without any interruptions, she had once foolishly insisted that she could get through the infamous Void Maze on the planet Lesrian by herself. Bemused by her insistence, he had humoured her and recreated it for her in its entirety. If she was so sure she could get through a maze that he had had trouble figuring out even after trying numerous times without any assistance, she was welcome to prove herself.

Being her usual stubborn and proud self, she had marched into the maze without so much as a backward glance. She was going to show him, she had thought to herself, and then she was going to rub it in his face for the rest of eternity.

Naturally, it had not taken long for her to not only get completely lost but also realise it.

It had taken even less time after that point for the fear to begin creeping up on her.

Intellectually, she had been cognizant of the fact that there was no reason to be afraid. Mon-El was right outside the maze waiting for her and he would never do anything like alter it while she was inside just to ensure that she would be trapped forever.

That had not stopped her from feeling as if the walls of the maze were closing in on her and panicking that she was all alone again.

The next thing she had been fully aware of was that she was sobbing into a warm and solid chest as a pair of equally warm and solid arms wrapped her in a tight embrace and a soothing voice murmured _Shh, it's okay, I'm here, you're safe_ over and over again into her hair.

She had screamed his name, he had told her later once she had calmed down, and the raw fear and desperation in her voice had compelled him to dismiss the maze construct immediately and run to her side. “I'm sorry,” he had said with genuine regret. “I shouldn't have left you alone. I won't do it again, I promise.”

In the end, she had unwittingly made him break his promise and, as if that hadn't been bad enough, ended up being the one leaving him all alone instead.

“I'm really sorry, Kara.”

The sound of Mon-El's voice drew her back to the here and now, and Kara found him still looking at her with a mixture of concern and guilt. “It's okay. I forgive you,” she whispered with a fragile smile. “I mean... I... I need to get over this fear eventually anyway.” Which was true but probably not for the reasons he was likely thinking of. It was crucial if she wanted to carry out her plan to rescue him when she finally narrowed down where exactly in the universe his shuttle was floating. If she couldn't even handle the idea of being alone in a small space, there was no way she was going to be able to last a prolonged trip across the universe in her pod.

A relieved smile formed on his face. “Well, there's no need for you to start now,” he said, clearly unaware of where her train of thought had taken her. “Come here.”

She had already started shuffling forward before he had even finished and all but melted into his embrace. Perhaps it was a childish thought to have especially for someone who was technically not really a child any more but there was nothing Mon-El's hugs couldn't fix and this time was certainly no exception. “Thank you,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

“It's the least I can do considering I caused this,” he noted wryly as he rubbed soothing circles into her back. “Feeling better now?”

“Mm.” She regrettably pulled away and scooted back so that she was no longer perched precariously on the edge of her bed. “Thank you again.”

He got up and she shifted to the side so he could sit next to her. “You're welcome,” he replied softly and clasped her hand in order to silently reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere. “So... I know you said much, much earlier that this whole Scented Clouds thing-”

“Santa Claus.”

“-is supposed to be some big grand lie humans tell their children which... why they would do something like that baffles us both but I'm just going to consider it more proof that they're primitive idiots-”

She pinched him.

“Ow. As I was saying before you so rudely and violently interrupted me... We haven't considered a very real possibility.”

The look she gave him was equal parts wary and curious. “What's that?”

His expression was one of grave seriousness... which she basically took as a sign that she shouldn't take him seriously at all. “He might be real... _and an alien_.”

It took all of her effort to not roll her eyes at him. “You're joking.”

“Look, I'm just saying it's possible. I mean, there are so many things humans think are just myths and legends when we know better. Case in point: _Dragons_ , Kara. They think _dragons_ aren't real.”

“Okay, _fine_. You have a point there. Now I have to ask: What kind of alien do you know could possibly be mistaken for Santa?”

“Well... I was thinking about a Rahnion.”

“I don't recognise that species.”

“They look like this.”

Kara stared dubiously at the strange ball of bright red and white feathers standing on spindly legs staring back at her with big googly eyes. “...I really don't see how this could even _remotely_ be mistaken for a fat old man.”

“We've already established that humans are stupid, Kara,” Mon-El pointed out. “It's not too much of a stretch to say they're possibly blind as well. I mean, _come on_. All your idiot cousin has to do is put on _a pair of glasses_ and suddenly _no one_ can recognise him?”

“For the last time, stop referring to Kal-El as-” She paused and began eyeing him suspiciously. “You're doing all this on purpose, aren't you?”

He gave her a shifty-eyed look. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

That earned him a smack on the arm. “That's all the proof I need! Now tell me why you're doing this!”

A heavy sigh escaped him and he looked strangely hesitant to speak. “It's just... When you started telling me about all this, you kind of looked... well, sad about something. I couldn't figure out why so I thought I'd just distract you until you seemed more ready to talk about it.”

_Oh._ She looked down at her lap and tried not to fidget. “You're going to think I'm silly,” she mumbled.

“Hey.” He bumped her shoulder gently with his, and when she looked up again she found him giving her that reassuring smile of his that always put her at ease. “I promise I won't. Now come on. Talk to me.”

“I...” It seemed safer to look back down at her lap so she did. “When I first found out about Santa... even after I discovered that it was just some story humans tell their children... I... I kind of... wanted him to be real.”

She didn't have to see his face to know that her confession had taken him by surprise. “Really? Why?”

“He's supposed to give children who've been good what they want so I thought... I've been good, haven't I? I've done everything everyone wants me to do. I haven't used my powers, I do my best to fit in and not cause trouble for the Danvers, I try to be nice to Alex even though she annoys me to no end... If Santa was real, I thought... I thought he might give me what I want for Christmas.”

“...Which is...?” he asked carefully.

“My best friend safe and sound with me,” she said in a rush before she lost her nerve. What she didn't tell him – and probably never would – was that she daydreamed about what her life would be like once she managed to find him. She daydreamed about seeing with her own eyes all the planets he'd ever shown her in the dream world and discovering more that even he had never visited. She daydreamed about being out there among the stars where she belonged with the one person she could just be herself with and never have to pretend to be anyone else – the only person who seemed to care about Kara Zor-El instead of Kara Danvers.

A beat of stunned silence followed. “...Kara...”

“You think I'm being silly, don't you?” she whispered. It didn't matter that she hadn't voiced all those thoughts and there was no way he could know about them; she was well aware that like her brief and almost desperate wish for Santa to be real, the idea of a life spent traipsing across the universe with Mon-El without a care in the world was just a childish fantasy. Even so... she could dream, couldn't she?

“ _No._ Come on, Kara.” Still oblivious as to where her thoughts had really strayed, he pulled her into a tight hug and she reciprocated albeit hesitantly. “I think it's nice. I mean, out of all the things you'd want, that would be your number one choice? I'm really flattered. And humbled. Knowing that is enough for me.”

“Still... It would've been nice,” she mumbled into his chest, aware that she was once again having two different conversations with him without him even being aware of it.

He shrugged. “Eh, it depends. I mean, I definitely would prefer it if you rescued me instead of some fat old guy with a weird fashion sense.”

The comment, silly as it was, still made her smile. “Of course.” _At least I still have this_ , she thought to herself. _That's more than I could have ever hoped for._

As always, he just had to ruin the moment by opening his stupid mouth.

“Then again, I suppose even _that_ would be preferable to being rescued by... say, your idiot cousin.”

A pillow materialised out of thin air and smacked him in the face, and a pillow fight naturally ensued.

 

* * *

 

SEVERAL YEARS LATER

 

* * *

 

“Hi.”

Mon-El looked up from his attempt to recreate one of the paintings that used to hang in the east wing of Daxam's royal palace to find that Kara had returned to the dream world. “Oh, hey,” he greeted her before directing his attention back to his work.

Then he paused and slowly turned to look at her again.

“...Is everything okay?” he asked carefully.

“O-Of course everything's fine,” she replied a little too quickly. “Why would you think everything's not fine?”

One of his eyebrows arched. “...Because you usually come over and sit next to me the moment you arrive but instead you're still standing there. Also, you're crinkling.”

As always, the comment caused her to make a futile attempt to cover said crinkle. “Am not!”

“You _do_ realise that trying to cover it up just makes it more obvious, right?”

She glowered at him but failed to look intimidating thanks to the way her face was completely flushed. “Shut up,” she grumbled, but his teasing was enough to push her to walk over and sit down next to him like usual.

Determining that it would be better if he left the decision of whether to initiate their mental connection to her, he kept his hands where they were and just continued to eye her curiously. “So... want to tell me why you're acting so strangely?”

“W-Well...” She coughed awkwardly and cast her gaze downwards. “Care to guess what day it is?”

He blinked. That was something he almost never heard her ask because she knew very well he had no way of knowing the date. Whatever today was, it had to be something significant... but what? “Um... it's not your birthday, is it?” She shook her head so he kept going. “...Earth birthday?” Another shake of the head. “Okay, I'm really lost. You know my chances of giving you the correct answer are practically nil so could I have a hint or something at least?”

“Right, sorry,” she winced. “Um... It's Christmas.”

“Ah.” He had to wrack his head a little to remember why that sounded vaguely familiar. “Oh, that Earth celebration.” A frown creased his features. “You haven't mentioned it since you were like-” he gestured with one hand, “-this tall. Not that I'm complaining or anything but... what brought this on?”

Instead of answering immediately, she cleared her throat nervously and continued to dawdle as her blush darkened a shade. “W-Well... um... I, uh... I kind of... found out about a... new Christmas custom of sorts.”

“I see.” He didn't. Not in the sense of figuring out why she was behaving like this anyway. “And that would be...?”

“Um...” She fidgeted some more. “Have I ever told you about mistletoe?”

Missile toe? What? “Uh, no...”

It was as if a dam had burst, and the next thing he knew Kara was rambling and there was this strange green and red leaf-like thing floating slightly above them. ...Why was it right above them? “It's a plant on Earth. A parasitic one. They attach themselves to their host tree or shrub with a special structure that allows them to extract the water and nutrients they need to survive from the host plant...”

Mon-El watched, bemused, as Kara continued to go on and on about... was she really talking about the plant's _life cycle_? She was clearly nervous about something and making herself even more nervous with her blatant attempt to avoid addressing the real reason why she was so nervous. When she reached the point of reciting the ecological importance of the plant, he decided to put her out of her misery. “Kara, you're babbling.”

Her mouth snapped shut with a click and she reddened even further even as she looked up to glare at him. “Was not.”

“I'd say 'was too' but we know that means this conversation will never end,” he noted wryly. “Just tell me what it is about this custom you just discovered that's turned you into a nervous wreck.”

“W-Well... um...” she trailed off as she looked back down, and he almost believed that she was just going to drop the issue when she finally blurted out the truth. “Humans kiss under it.”

What? “What?” he repeated out loud in surprise.

“Humans... Th-They, um...” She cleared her throat. “They hang mistletoe up around places like their house a-and... a-and if two people end up under it, they have to... you know... k-kiss.”

“Ah. So it's just an excuse to get kissed by someone.” He paused, realised what he'd just said and began smirking. “Wait, did you tell me about this so that you could get me to kiss you?”

“O-Of course not!” she adamantly denied as she began crinkling.

Instead of pointing it out again, he decided to play along. “Oh, okay. I guess there's no reason to kiss you then.”

“H-Hey! W-Wait!” he heard her cry out just as he made a show of turning away from her and then felt a hand snag his sleeve. When he turned back to look at her, he found her glowering at him quite intensely... and the same could be said for her blush. “Can't you just make this easy for me every once in a while?”

Even though he knew that it would just annoy her even more – or perhaps because of precisely that reason –, he started to grin at her. “Kara, we've kissed countless times before this. You don't need to come up with a silly excuse to do it.”

“It's not an excuse!” she insisted even as her crinkle made its triumphant return. “I-I was just... sharing a bit of Earth customs that... you know... sounded... interesting.”

His cheeks were actually starting to hurt with how wide his grin had gotten. “You _do_ remember that we're not from Earth, right?”

“But I'm _on_ Earth,” she tried to argue.

“And _I'm_ not,” he countered easily. “For that matter, we're _both_ technically not on Earth right now since this is a dream.”

Kara growled in annoyance. “You know, if you don't want to kiss me you can just sa- mmph.”

Whatever traces of irritation Mon-El could feel through their mental connection before he kissed her immediately disappeared to be replaced by that now all too familiar sense of contentment and quiet happiness coming from the golden light the moment their lips touched. It was actually a challenge not to smirk or even smile at the effect such a simple action on his part had on her.

That urge actually became harder to resist when he finally pulled away and opened his eyes to find her looking back at him with her brilliant blue eyes half-lidded and a slightly dazed expression on her face. “So,” he murmured, his hand still gently holding her in place by her chin, “is that it?”

“Hmm?” she said rather eloquently, clearly still a little lost in the moment.

This time, he let the smirk he had been suppressing curve his lips. “The mistletoe. Are you only supposed to kiss once or what?”

It said a lot that she had to blink several times to regain her senses and figure out what he was talking about. “Oh. Um.” Her cheeks reddened again. “Y-Yeah. Just once.”

“And the reason they do this in the first place is...?”

“I... um... didn't really get that far in my research.”

No force in the universe could have kept the smugness out of his voice. “Did you by any chance get too distracted by the thought of kissing me to continue?”

Blushing just a little harder than before, she nevertheless tried to salvage some of her pride as the golden light glowed with defiance. Unfortunately for her, all she managed to do was make herself look and sound defensive. “D-Don't flatter yourself.”

“Okay,” he said as he finally let her go and pulled away while putting on a serious face, “I guess that's it then.”

All at once, her blush vanished and she stared at him in utter confusion. “Wait, what?”

The corners of his lips twitched despite his valiant attempt to maintain a casually stoic expression. “I mean, you said this Earth custom only calls for one kiss and we've already met that requirement so I guess we're done here. And since you clearly have no interest in doing it again...”

To her credit, her scowl this time actually managed to look just that little bit intimidating despite her luminescent blush. “Mon-El?”

He kept playing dumb. “Yes, Kara?”

“Just shut up and kiss me again.”

“Fine. In the name of Creased Mouse Day and all that.”

“ _For the last time, it's Christ-_ mmph.”

“You know, I think I'm beginning to really like this Earth celebration.”

“Of course you'd say that.”

“Why, you don't?”

“...I didn't say _that_...”

“Thought so.”

“Stop smirking. It's really aggravating.”

“You'd prefer it if I just kissed you again then? Considering the fact that your little construct is still floating right above our heads.”

“...Y-Yes...”

“That works for me. And by the way, since we _are_ trying to do this right...”

“...What is it?”

“Merry Christmas, Kara.”

“Merry Christmas, Mon-El.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the fic as much as Mon-El enjoyed poking fun at Kara and Christmas (but mostly Kara). In case it wasn't clear, the first half of the fic happens during Kara's first year on Earth while the second half occurs in the second (or first, if you agree with Mon-El) year of their relationship. To be absolutely precise, it happens after the chapter following Breath which I will be writing and uploading... well, next year.
> 
> Once again, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in advance to all of you! Or as Mon-El would say, Happy Marry a Creased Mouse Day! See you all in 2019 and I hope it'll be a good year for everyone!


End file.
